“Lonely Among Us” is episode seven of season one of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The Enterprise is picking up delegates from two worlds in the same system, the Anticans and the Selay. Since achieving space flight, the two have been deadly enemies. Both wish to join the Federation so the Enterprise is going to deliver delegates to Parliament, the sector’s neutral conference planet to hopefully resolve the dispute. Picard, Riker and Tasha are in dress uniforms in a transporter room waiting to greet the Selay delegates. The Selay are not happy that the Anticans were beamed aboard first. Nor are they happy to have them quartered nearby. This doesn’t look good for a peace conference. Tasha and the captain agree with that sentiment.
On the bridge, Riker is telling the captain that he never understood the reasons for Earth’s disputes, never mind the two alien races. Data reports an unusual energy object ahead. Nothing solid, only energy, and travelling at warp speed. There’s no match for the object on the records, so a close sensor pass is going to be done.
Worf and Geordi are working in sensor maintenance when Tasha contacts them to see if there are any problems with the sensors. There aren’t. There are no lifeform readings from the cloud but Data reports that it is changing shape as the Enterprise passes. Still no matter, only energy. The Enterprise passes through the object’s edge. In sensor maintenance, Word hears something and checks a panel. He gets shocked by something and hurled to the ground. Geordi checks him and contacts sickbay. When Dr Crusher and a nurse arrive, Worf comes too as they are examining him and hurls the nurse across the room. Geordi, afterwards, reports to the captain that he saw a glow, just for a second, and he doubts it was a visor malfunction.
The doctor is working on Worf when she gets zapped as well. She staggers, but takes it better than Worf did. Counselor Troi enters and checks on Worf, whose readings are normal. The doctor says she’s alright, both of them are quite normal. When Worf wakes up, he doesn’t remember what happened. Troi tells him the doctor will need to fill him in, but Dr Crusher wanders off instead.
The Enterprise doesn’t have time to continue investigating the cloud, so Captain Picard orders their course to be resumed. Beverley returns to her quarters, where Wesley is studying, and inquires about it. Helm control is mentioned, which she realises is on the bridge. That is odd behaviour. Beverley heads to the bridge and finds the helm. She tells the captain that Worf had a temporary mental aberration. Picard wants more details, so Beverley says she needs to check the library computer. The captain tells her to use a terminal next to Data. Data notices she is looking at helm control. Then energy leaves the doctor and enters the computer. She’s confused as to why she’s on the bridge and heads back to her office.
Then Data’s station malfunctions, followed by the one Beverley was working on. Then engineering and a transporter room report malfunctions. Data concurs with the captain that such malfunctions are virtually impossible, given how new the ship is. No reason can be found for the malfunctions, but the systems start working again.
Then warp power fails and they drop out of warp. Subspace radio is out as well. The captain is not happy. He speaks to Data and Riker in his ready room; Data states that if the Enterprise was this fragile, it would never have left spacedock. He suspects an unknown adversary. The possibility of Ferengi interreference is raised. A mention of PIs results in Data being told about Sherlock Holmes
Wesley is in engineering with Singh, who tells him he needs to do classwork now. Wesley returns to his quarters, where his mother doesn’t remember speaking to him earlier. In engineering, Singh gets hit by the energy, but he ends up being killed by it. Admittedly, he was wearing a red shirt. Worf contacts the captain. They are now out of warp with unknown malfunctions and need to try and work out just what is going on.
In the background of these events, the Anticans and the Selay are both causing problems. Tasha isn’t pleased to find out the Anticans still kill animals for food. Commander Riker discovers two of the Anticans wandering around near the Selay quarters, carrying tools that will just as easily function as weapons. Data gets fascinated with Sherlock Holmes, following the captain mentioning him, and Colm Meaney puts in another appearance as an unnamed crewmember.